Doing what's right is how SC Johnson operates. For nearly 20 years, SC Johnson's Waxdale plant used landfill gas (LFG) in boilers. In 2003, SC Johnson switched their use of LFG to a 3.2 MW Centaur 40 gas turbine with a heat recovery system from Solar Turbines Incorporated. On Earth Day 2004, SC Johnson, a global leader in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, continued its commitment to the community by announcing plans for its second gas turbine to be fired on natural gas, but with the capability of using 10 percent LFG.

Today, the two turbines provide electricity and most of the steam for the 2.2 million square foot plant. By using waste LFG and recapturing heat that would otherwise be lost in the generation of power, SC Johnson expects to consume significantly less electricity and natural gas.

The project's highlights include the following:

First consumer products manufacturing facility in the Midwest to produce a substantial amount of its own energy through clean-burning technologies

3.2 MW and 19,000 pounds of steam per hour per turbine, with an overall efficiency of 70 percent

50 percent reduction in fossil fuel usage

17 percent reduction in greenhouse gases in one year

The Waxdale plant, SC Johnson's largest manufacturing operation, was the first facility to pilot EPA's Climate Leader's Initiative. Climate Leaders challenges corporations to make voluntary reductions in their greenhouse gas emissions. Changes at the Waxdale plant helped SC Johnson reduce its U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 24 percent between 2000 and 2005.

In our first year, SC Johnson exceeded global GHG reduction plans. We view the Climate Leaders Initiative as one of many steps we are taking to reduce our footprint on the environment while producing innovative products for consumers worldwide, and we applaud the EPA for their leadership. —Dr. H. Fisk Johnson, Chairman of SC Johnson and Sons